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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Emergency medical services

Characteristics and Challenges of Rural Ambulance Agencies - A Brief Review and Policy Considerations
Examines challenges including prolonged response and transport times, insufficient payment by insurers, transitions from volunteer to paid workforce, and lack of plans and policies to coordinate services. Features recommendations for identifying public policy considerations to stabilize rural ambulance agencies.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Maine Health Access Foundation: Reaching Out to Organizations to Provide Directed Grants
An interview with Barbara Leonard and Ruta Kadonoff of the Maine Health Access Foundation. Discusses how the foundation provided unrestricted COVID-19 grants and open competitive grants and partnered with other philanthropies pooling together COVID-19 response funds. Describes the foundation's support for EMS, telehealth, tribal communities, behavioral health, and other concerns important to rural Maine.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Diagnosing and Managing Mild TBI in Rural Kids
Discusses the challenges of diagnosing and treating pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in rural areas. Covers recommendations and rules for computerized tomography (CT) scans and symptom assessment, recovery and support for patients, educational resources for patients and families, and telemedicine as an option that increases access to follow-up care for mTBI.
Author(s): Kelly Sarmiento
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap
Report details the form and function of the transportation systems serving rural areas. Discusses gaps in service for all forms of rural transportation, including EMS and non-emergency medical transportation.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organizations: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, National Cooperative Highway Research Program
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Enhancing Rural Emergency Communications Capabilities
Highlights the accomplishments of University of Mississippi Medical Center's First Hands Program to establish communication systems and agency interoperability between non-medical first responders and medical teams, improve disaster response coordination, and identify solutions to improve the delivery of rural emergency medical care. This program was funded by the Rural Emergency Medical Communications Demonstration Project (REMCDP) established by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and addresses the goals and objectives of the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP).
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
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Montana Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion Bureau: June 2018-July 2020 Progress Report
Report highlights the public health efforts in the areas of tobacco cessation, diabetes and cancer reduction, and promoting physical activity, among other issues in Montana. Compares rates over a two year span and details the programs designed to address them.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
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Frontier Community Health Integration Project (FCHIP) Demonstration Evaluation: Final Evaluation Report
Presents findings from an evaluation of the Frontier Community Health Integration Project (FCHIP) Demonstration. Describes the three possible interventions, including their impact, progress and accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned. Identifies commonalities that emerged across the FCHIP interventions that may inform future demonstrations among rural healthcare providers.
Additional links: Findings At-A-Glance
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Sociodemographic and Geographic Variation in Awareness of Stroke Signs and Symptoms Among Adults — United States, 2017
Reports on knowledge of the five signs and symptoms of stroke and the immediate need to call emergency medical services among adults 20 years and older. Includes data by county urbanicity for rural counties, small and medium metro counties, and large metro counties.
Author(s): Sandra L. Jackson, Brian Legvold, Anjel Vahratian, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(44), 1617-1621
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Engaging Communities to Preserve Access to Emergency Medical Services in Rural Maine
White paper focusing on rural EMS issues and how Informed Community Self Determination (ICSD) might be implemented to address these issues in Maine. Intended to ensure that individuals understand the EMS capabilities in their community, that the services are the type and level needed, and that services are adequately funded.
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Action Network
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Implementation of Flex EMS Supplemental Funding Projects: Year One Activities
Provides an overview of the first-year implementation efforts of the eight Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Supplemental funding grant recipients. Describes each grant project, the impact of COVID-19 and other challenges on project implementation, and factors that facilitated implementation. Includes recommendations for grantees.
Author(s): Karen Pearson, John Gale, Sara Kahn-Troster
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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